Hummus with Roasted Olives

Homemade Hummus made with chickpeas, lemon juice and tahini.But more EPIC! Topped with Roasted Olives, Garlic and Herbs!

It's a pure dip heaven! This is a great appetizer for parties.

You would have had a lot of hummus..But this Hummus with Olives is the granddaddy of them all!

The flavour is just next level!

In this recipe you take regular hummus and make it so much extra!

You can also dress up storebought hummus this way.Though in my experience, do it with a known brand.To avoid any surprises.

A loaded hummus is a great party appetizer. You can make the whole dish ahead of time and refrigerate it. To serve get it to room temperature and serve it with an extra drizzle of extra virgin olive oil.

If you are throwing a big party, I would pair this with some more dips like my yogurt dip or a simple cheese dip.I usually make a giant spread with crisps like chips, pita bread, pita bread chips, veggies like cucumber, celery and carrots.

Ingredients

Hummus in itself needs only 5 ingredients

• Boiled Chickpeas
• Tahini
• Salt
• Lemon Juice

That's all really.

You can also use store-bought hummus and just top it with roasted olives instead.

Chickpeas

You can boil chickpeas at home or buy canned version.

Boiling Chickpeas at home- Soak Overnight, Pressure cook in the instant pot for 35 minutes with 3 times the water.Check my Channa Masala Post for more details on boiling chickpeas.
If you dont have a pressure cooker, buy canned chickpeas.

The trick to smooth hummus is overcooked hot boiled chickpeas.

I usually microwave the boiled chickpeas for just 3 minutes before working with them.

The chickpeas have to be buttery soft.

If you are using pre boiled chickpeas that have been in the refrigerator, you can prep them in two ways

Boil Them - Add the chickpeas to boiling water and let it simmer for 5-10 minutes

Microwave them - Add some water or use the water the chickpeas already have. Microwave them for 10-12 minutes, covered. Make sure the chickpeas are submerged in water.

Tahini- I use homemade tahini. It can be more intense so I use very little of it. If using store-bougt you can increase the quantity by ¼ tsp.

Lemon Juice - Not lime...the yellow big lemons. It transforms the hummus! Really!

Should I peel Chickpeas for Hummus?

You can peel the chickpeas when making hummus. You will definitely get creamier hummus when you remove the skin of the cooked garbanzo beans.

But..It takes time and extra effort.

The difficult way to do this is to remove each skin by hand.This will take a lot of time.

An easy method is to place the chickpeas in a kitchen towel. With gentle pressure, rub the towel back and forth.

The skin comes right off and you can just pick it off.

If you have a heavy duty processer then you can leave the peel on and instead blend the chickpeas as much as you would with almond or peanut butter. I have a heavy duty blender which i use to make chutneys etc so I usually leave the peel on.

If you have a regular blender, then you will benefit from removing the peel of the chickpeas.

How to make Creamy Hummus

Making hummus is easy enough on paper but a lot of things can go weird.

The texture of the hummus has to be creamy and not thick.It's light and airy.Almost like buttercream.

I have made this mistake often when I started making hummus.

With that cleared up..Let me explain how to make creamy hummus

Step 1: Over Cook the Chickpeas.

This helps in making the hummus silky smooth. This will also over cook the chickpeas and make the hummus smoother.

You can do two things here

1. Boiling Water - Simmer the cooked chickpeas in boiling water for 10-12 minutes.
2. Microwave - Place the chickpeas in a covered microwave safe bowl with water or the liquid chickpeas were boiled in. Submerge it completely. Microwave for 10-12 minutes.

Do not use cold chickpeas. They will be significantly difficult to blend.

Step 2: Strain the chickpeas

Strain the liquid completely.

If you want, you can remove the skins of the chickpeas at this point.

To do that,

step 1: Place the chickpeas between a kitchen towel

Step 2: Gently rub them in between the towel. Apply gentle pressure

The skin should come right off and you can pick them.

Step 3: Blend

In a food processor/ blender, add the chickpeas , salt, lemon juice and tahini.

Top this with about 1 cup of ice cubes.

The ice cubes will help in maintaining the temperature and not over heating the processor.

Blend , Blend , Blend. Take your time here. At least 10-12 minutes.

Some food processors are not strong enough to make a creamy paste.In that case, do your best! Try blending for a few more minutes.

Add water if the hummus is too thick.

Now you can skip this part all together and buy store-bought hummus. You can even dress up your leftover hummus and make it epic this way!

And now for the best part!The Olives!

Hummus with Roasted Olives

This step adds so much flavour! This Olive Hummus is so Additive!

Here are the Ingredients needed

• Olives- Mixed- I have kalamata and black and green olives.
• Lemon Wedges
• Garlic- not peeled
• Herbs- Thyme goes the best
• Olive Oil
• Salt
• Chilli Flakes

Add all this to a oven proof pan.

Roast for about 20-25 minutes till the lemon seems to have softened.

Assemebly

Add the hummus to a shallow bowl or a plate.

Using a spoon, give it a swirl to create dips and valleys.

Drizzle the oil from the roasted olives pan over the hummus.Dont dump the olives in but gently place them with a spoon.

Add fresh herbs on top.Sprinkle more chilli flakes if you like your hummus spicy.

Tricks

To make your hummus super smooth here are some tips

• Overcook the chickpeas.If you are using canned chickpeas, throw them in the boiling water for 5-10 minutes.This will make the hummus super smooth.
• Use ice cubes while blending the hummus.This way your hummus wont heat up while blending.
• Whatever machine you are using- a blender or a food processer, make sure to blend for atleast 10 minutes.A smooth hummus is blended for atleast 10-15 minutes till its smooth like whipped cream.Add more water if needed.

How to Serve Hummus

Ah my favourite part. This is where you can unleash your creativity.

If it's just for 4-5 people, serve this hummus with some pita bread, crisps and chips.

If it's for more people and you want to go mediterranean, serve this along with Baba Ganoosh, Yogurt dip , Carrots, cucumbers and celery.
I would add toum which is garlic mayonnaise to this too.And Pita! Toasted soft pita and crispy pita chips too.Here is an easy recipe to make homemade pita chips.

Variations

Here are some variations of this loaded hummus. Instead of roasted olives you can top it with

• Roasted Cherry Tomatoes
• Roasted Banana Peppers
• Roasted Garlic
• Roasted Zuchinni and Eggplant.
• Sun dried Tomatoes with the oil

Okay I have an endless list on how to dress up hummus! It's my favorite condiment!

Leftovers & Storage

Hummus will last in the fridge for about a week.Especially if kept in an air tight jar.

You can also freeze hummus easily.Here are the steps

• Add it to ice cube tray, Freeze.
• Once it's frozen, remove from the freezer tray and store it in a zip lock bag.
• Thaw it overnight or on the countertop. Serve at room temperature.

Always store hummus covered. It develops an ugly layer of dry skin on top if its exposed to air for too long. That is why hummus is always served with a drizzle of olive oil.

Also! If you have this leftover after a big party the night before, use it to make a sandwich or a wrap. Here are my favorite ways to use up hummus.

• Toasted Bread, hummus and thinly sliced Cucumbers
• A wrap made with store bought tortilla or a homemade flatbread with lettuce, onions and shredded chicken
• In a large buddha bowl with quinoa and roasted veggies.
• As a 4 o clock snack with veggies like carrots and cucumber.

Here are some more Dips and Appetisers for you

Air Fryer Pita Chips
Roasted Red Pepper Feta Dip
My Famous 5 minute Yogurt Dip
Greek Yogurt Party Dip - Tzatziki
Air Fryer Stuffed Peppers
Air Fryer Buffalo Shrimp

Please let me know how your Hummus with Roasted Olives turns out in the comments! I love hearing from you.

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